A pro-cannabis beach event is coming to Southsea this Sunday

Hampshire Cannabis Community will host 20 stalls selling cannabis-the med merchandise at Eastney beach from from 1pm to 6pm on Sunday. 

The event's founder Simon Dignam said : ‘It’s a real family event.

‘It’s been running for about seven years, and at our first event we had 20 people attend – last year, there was 200. 

‘We have never had any trouble.

The forty-five year old said attitudes to the drug have changed as public understanding of its medicinal properties have increased.

He said: ‘People used to look at cannabis users as stoned hippies, but now the stigma is almost gone.’

The event will host a speaker from the Durham Cannabis Society and a raffle in aid of the United Kingdom Cannabis Social Clubs’ Right To Grow campaign. 

A spokesman from Portsmouth City Council said: ‘The council was not aware of this event until contacted by The News, and we cannot comment on an event that we have not had any details of. 

But if anyone breaks the law, it would be a matter for the police to deal with.’ 

Simon added: ‘I do not advertise the event for people to come down to get stoned.

‘The event is about fighting the law, not breaking the law.’ 

It comes as Simon prepares to open a cannabis-extract shop in the unit that was Hilsea Hardware, on London Road, Hilsea.

He said: ‘It took about a year to get Company House to accept our request for registration.’

The shop is due to open at the end of August.